Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-04-02
A COUNTRY EDITORS VIEWS.

~ editor, we commend to the care
ful consideration of every country
publisher.
| was born, bred, brought up and
knocked down in printing Office.
Horace Greeley was, too, and so
was Howard, late OF the New YORK
World. Horace and Howard were
paid for it, however. l don't re
member receiving any remuneration
in those degenerate days of starva.
ton for the county editor, when he
spent his life with the pen and press
for--whatf Too often. / fear, for
nothing; sometimes for a load OF
wood, and seldom for anything
further than the bare necessaries OF
life. Yes, in those days, years and
years ago, poverty, want, even
hunger sometimes visited the coun.
try editor under trying circum.
stances. That such a state of affairs
existed was not so much the fault
of the editors themselves. Their
crude surroundings and limited field
made journalism an uncertain and
Improbable business. Then, too,
with nothing but their own resoar.
ces from which to draw, their papers
were poor, small sheets at the best.
1t was only some twenty-five years
ago, think, that the "patent .
sheet was first introduced in this
country, thus enabling the country
editor to print large exhaustive
paper at a nominal expense and
compete more successfully with city
papers. There are countless advan.
tages at the beck of the country
editor of today that he knew moth.
ing of twenty-five years ago, and
yet he seems to be but little better
off than he ever was. And this is
simply because be submits to cir
cumstances, asserts no independence,
manifests no business method, pos.
sesses apparently no stability OF
purpose. When the country editor
goes into business to-day about the
first thing he does is to slash down
prices. Prices once down are down
forever, and the competing houses
are both made poorer. Another
deplorable feature in country news.
papers is their multiplicity of ad
yertising rates. There probably il
not one paper in fifty that sticks to
its rates. And yet we blame the
advertising agent for offering low
rates, wanting especial position
etc., when the editors themselves
are fostering this "dicker " method
OF doing business. Here is the
secret of the trouble: A local paper
adVertises its rates at $50 per column
Tor year; circulation 1000. Tb,
advertising agent writes that paper
that he will give $50 worth OF
Smiths soap for column "ad.n
one year. The difference is finall,
Split" and the cad" accepted for
$40 worth of soap. When Saturda,
night comes around the editor eithe,
pays his help with soap-soft soap,
maybe-or he does not pay them al
all. There is only one way to treat
advertisers, and that is to give good.
fair prices-cash prices-and stick
to them like grim death. Stick to
that method year, and after man
has done business with You once he
will know where to find you the next
time. If he wants to get 5000 worth
of advertising done for $50 he WON'T
hamper you with bis wants. No,
indeed! When he gets a good adj"
he will send it on at your price. Ii
all would adopt this method, Tom,
Dick and Harry wouldn't advertise
so much, perhaps, but then T., D.
and Il. wouldn't skin you ont OF
your pay so often, either. Instead,
you would get better grade of ad.
vertising, just as much of 1t, and
get cash for it every time. The
country printer is worthy of his hire
and If he doesn't cater to the agents
whims, the agent will do the cater.
ing.
1t is deplorable and unworthy OF
the cause that an editor will, in lien
OF getting a fair price for advertis.
ing, be ground down to accept half
price, and then, perhaps, take pay
in shoe.blacking, Waterbury Watches,
patent medicine, castor oil-any.
thing. These are some of the reas.
ons why so many of our country
editors are leading the old. time,
hum-drum, neutrality-suspicious., pow
erty dlrt-and hunger existence. The
person who brings about q change
In this matter will cause the average
country editors heart to swell right
up and burst with gratitude.
COUNTRY EDITOR.
The other day Prof. James G. May
ofSalem, Ind, concluded that he had